The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To  Us, We Went On An Outing To 
 The  Glass  Factory That Bore Our Family 
 Name. It Had Changed  Owners  Many Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood  Abandoned  For   A  Long   While. 
 Finally,  The Natural  End  Station  For 
 The  Buildings  That Survive: A  Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long  Time  Since  My Family 
 Made  Anything. By  Many,  We  Would  Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There  Are  Two  Main Factory Buildings, 
 Domed Things Of Several Floors,  Made In 
 Yellow Brick.  Large But Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent    Of    Some     Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made  Glass, Of Course, Large And 
 LeadEd,  And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be 
 Practical.  On   The  Eastern  Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One Is Publicly  Open. There'S 
 A  Museum, With  Wax Figures Of My Great 
 Great  Great  Grandfather, Or Something. 
 Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out  On 
 Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot  Of 
 Glass     Of      Varying     Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly  Sneak Out, And Climb Into The 
 Other   Building.   The    Contrast   Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict  For   A   Long  Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark  Glass  All   Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric  Lights, But I  Can  See By The 
 Light That Shines  In  Wherever The Dark 
 Windows    Are     Missing    A    Pane. 
                                          
 However,  The Greatest Difference Is The 
 Higher  Floors: This  Building Has None. 
 It Is One  Massive Hall, Stretching Away 
 Infinitely Above  Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is Some  Great  Iron  Latticework,  From 
 Where  Chains Are  Suspended, And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There  Is, In  The Middle Of  The  Great 
 Hall,   A  Thin  Spiral  Staircase  That 
 Leads Up There. I  Sneak Over There, And 
 Take A Few  Reluctant Steps. After  Just 
 A Revolution,  I  Notice  That  For Each 
 Step  The  Building Starts  To Glow, The 
 Bricks  Turning A  Dark  Red,  And  Then 
 Orange,  All The  Piled  Up Debree Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I  Stop  Ready  To Run Down And Out, But 
 There'S Someone  Else On  The  Staircase 
 With  Me   Now,   Pressed   Close.  He'S 
 Looking  Like  Me, Short  Hair And  Thin 
 Arms, But With  Ears  From  Some Animal, 
 And  More Disturbingly,  Completely Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear Holds  Me  In  Place  While  He 
 Starts Operating  Levers  And Dials  Set 
 In The Center Of The Staircase.  Slowly, 
 It Starts  Spinning,  Circling  Upwards. 
 It'S  An  Elevator!  I   Start   To  Run 
 Downwards,   But  Now   The  Liquid  Boy 
 Creature  Grabs Hold  Of  Me.  I Try  To 
 Shake Him Off, But He'S  Too Strong, And 
 Pulls   Me   Back   Up    Beside    Him. 
                                          
 This Time,  I Turn Angry  Instead.  What 
 The Hell?  Who Is This  Guy, Acting Like 
 This?  I Reach Out My Free Arm  And Slam 
 A  Random  Lever.   Some  Metal  Bar  Is 
 Suddenly  Released Between  Us,  Hitting 
 Him On  The  Arm,  Forcing My Release. I 
 Shove  Him Off  Of Me, And He Falls Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,  A   Thin  Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain Is  Dropped  Around Me. But  The 
 Elevator Also  Speeds Up  Significantly. 
                                          
 The  Walls  Are  Flaring   Now,  Yellow, 
 White,  Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And 
 Curl  Into  A Ball. But  Then, The Glass 
 Boy  Screams,  A   Piercing  Sound  That 
 Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch  As He 
 Becomes  Too  Liquid, His  Body  Pooling 
 Down  In  His Now Massive Tail, And  The 
 Tip Of It Suddenly  Breaks Of In A Glass 
 Drop  That  Falls  Toward  The   Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S  Crawling On The  Stairs, Unable To 
 Keep His Body  Upright. Can'T  Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While His  Body  Is  Turning  Into  Dark 
 Pearls. Finally, He'S  Lost Too Much  Of 
 Himself  And The  Scream  Is Cut  Short. 
 The   Last   Of    Him    Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I  Still  Can'T Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within My Cage.  Looking  Up,  I  Try To 
 Make Out  The  Ceiling, But  It'S All  A 
 Whirling  Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows 
 The Hellfire  Of  The Factory Walls, But 
 Very  Faint.  I Sit Down, Curl Back  Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large Clunk Shakes  My  Entire  Body, 
 And  Snaps  Me  Back Into  Reality.  I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs   Are  Still   Moving   Slightly, 
 Clicking In  Place, Carrying Me The Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And   I   Slowly  Dismount  The  Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking And  Crying,  I Make My Way Over 
 The  Factory Floor, Wading Through  Dark 
 Glass Marbles. A Quick  Glance Down, And 
 I  See There'S  Something  Faint  Inside 
 Them.   Embryos?    Are   These    Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.